Statecraft 99.8% of Federal Employees Get Good Performance Reviews. Why?
5 snips
Dec 16, 2025 
Scott Kupor, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and former managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz, discusses the complexities of federal employment. He highlights how federal agencies have rehired after layoffs due to miscalculations and examines the surprisingly low removal rates for poor performance. Kupor advocates for modernizing recruitment practices to attract younger talent and emphasizes the need for reforming job classifications to streamline hiring. He also outlines the importance of aligning workforce planning with agency goals and discusses upcoming tech-focused recruitment initiatives.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Layoffs Often Require Later Rehiring
- Rehiring after layoffs is common because restructuring often misestimates needs or overcuts critical roles.
- Kupor argues this phenomenon occurs frequently in private and public sector reorganizations.
Tie Workforce Plans To Budgets
- Integrate workforce planning into the budget process by linking priorities to staffing needs.
- Require agencies to assess whether roles and contractors align with stated objectives before cutting heads.
Measure Cost, Not Just Headcount
- Avoid using headcount alone as the efficiency metric; measure expense reductions including contractor spend.
- Rebalance FTEs versus contractors where contractors substitute for permanent roles.
